A wooden church having Stephan the Great and Holy as the patron saint is being erected in the yard of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. “The church is being built at the request of the military staff, the service members and also with the aim of offering spiritual support to the personnel of the National Army, which is continuously needed for building inner strength so as to be able to follow the advice of His Highness Stephan the Great, to guard the borders,” says a press release issued by archimandrite Nicolae (Roșca), spiritual director of the Ciuflea Monastery and president of the Pastoral Activity Synodic Sector of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense and the Law Enforcement Agencies, which manages the works to build the Memorial Cathedral, IPN reports.

So far, the employees of the Ministry and of the subordinate institutions, including the Military Academy of the Armed Forces “Alexandru cel Bun” and the Agency for Military Science and Memory, could donate their one-day wage for erecting the church. “The central tower and the belfry are now being roofed and these works are to be completed before it snows as the wooden construction needs to be protected from the weather conditions that have a negative impact on wood,” stated archimandrite Nicolae Roșca.

The wood is being processed and these works will be followed by the placing of 38 doors and windows, thermal insulation of the floor on both of the stories, placing of terracotta tiles and other works.

The project to build the church forms part of the common action plan for promoting spiritual education and religious assistance for the personnel of the National Army in 2021, which was signed by the Ministry of Defense and the Metropolitan Church of Chisinau and All Moldova in November 2020.

The construction works are planned to be completed next year.